About this project

$16,244

pledged of $15,000 goal

191

backers

WHAT'S THIS ALL ABOUT?

RAIR (Recycled Artist in Residency) is a young yet accomplished project located within a construction waste recycling center in Philadelphia. We are building new connections between art, sustainability and industry by giving artists a vehicle to create awareness about the waste stream.

Our Kickstarter proposal is to build on the momentum we've created during our early stages to let our organization reach its full potential. With a successful campaign, we will have what we need to open the residency program to applications from artists in the Spring 2013.

HOW YOU CAN HELP

Contribute to our campaign, of course! We need those $$$!!! Seriously though, even if that's not in the cards for you right now - you can help us by spreading the word about this campaign, staying in touch with our social media things (facebook, twitter, instagram, etc.), signing up for our mailing list, and come meet us at one of our events. Please please please, do any or all of the above. THANK YOU!

PLEDGE REWARDS

$20 - TOUR THE STUDIO

Studio Tour

We can't stress enough how amazing and unique our location is. We only know of one other art/industry partnership like this, and they're on the west coast. So, if you've never been to a recycling center, if you've always wondered what happens to trash once it leaves in a dumpster, and if you want to see where our magic happens - choose this reward and join us on a tour!

$30 - HOLIDAY CARD SET

Rudolph Holiday Card Set

Rudolph is near and dear to our hearts - our first official RAIR project! These cards make people smile all year long. The blank notecards are A2 size (5.5"x4.25") and come with craft paper envelopes. Sets include two dozen cards, six each of four different images.

$40 - CINDER BLOCK PENDANT

Cinder Block Pendant (shown with gold finish chain)

These blocks are made out of reclaimed wood and will perfectly compliment your jewelry and/or industrial object collection. Each 1.25"x0.75"x0.5" block comes with a 30" gold or silver finish ball chain.

$50 - SANBORN MAPS

Sanborn Maps

We get excited about lots of things we find in the trash, but these Sanborn Maps were extra special. Sanborn Maps are insurance maps that show a very detailed and layered history of cities. The pastings represent periodic updates of the maps. Each 18"x26" page is of a different section of the city and tells a story of how the neighborhood changed over time.

$60 - TAXONOMY OF TRASH POSTER

Taxonomy of Trash, Tim Eads

Receive a 20"x20" poster of the Taxonomy of Trash! The Taxonomy of Trash was a collaborative effort led by artist Tim Eads where the team sourced, analyzed and categorized objects from RAIR's waste stream. The poster is a pigment print on Epson enhanced matte. We'll also promise to send you an email about Tim Eads's upcoming exhibit at the Delaware Center for Contemporary Art next Spring.

$150 - PERSONAL SOURCING OPPORTUNITY

Artist Billy Blaise Dufala scoping the piles of waste for materials.

This could be you! We have piles and piles of wood, cardboard, plastics, steel, other construction/demolition/industrial/manufacturing waste, miscellaneous objects and more. See it, want it, take it - with our help of course.

$500 - HEAVY EQUIPMENT SCULPTURE

Fork Lift (left), Excavator (right) - not to scale

Each sculpture is one of a kind and hand made by RAIR artists Billy Blaise Dufala and Lucia Thome. The piece is made entirely from steel scraps pulled from the waste stream. The sculptures vary is size, but the fork lift is approximately 6"x6"x3" and the excavator is roughly 4"x4"x2" - mini yet adorable through every ounce!

$1000 - PROJECT RE-ENTRY

Artist Lucia Thome's house was made from recycled materials and displayed in a gallery at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts before going back into the waste stream. Our access to heavy equipment makes destroying art gut-wrenchingly entertaining. This is an example of what you would see as part of this reward.

$1500 - ART FOR DINNER

Billy Does Dinner (sculptures shown are not edible, but you get the idea)

This takes food as an art form to a whole new level. Food sculptor Billy Blaise Dufala makes an elaborate spread that showcases his "Chicken with Breast Implants" in their most literal, edible form. He has done this before, but only for two lucky dinner parties. Don't miss out this opportunity!

Risks and challenges

Our dedicated team has built RAIR over the last few years without a budget or any paid staff. This continues to be our biggest challenge. This Kickstarter campaign is the catalyst of a big fundraising push for us where our ultimate goal is to hire at least one full-time paid staff person - two would be a dream come true! Then, we can start getting real real. We can bolster our programming and give so many more people access to this unique perspective of the waste stream. Our founders and volunteers are so devoted to giving RAIR a proper place in this world, it's not even funny.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $20 or more
About $20

Aren't you curious about our work space? Join us for a limited series of 2-hour tours this spring. The tours will be on a few Sundays in March and April. The overlap between art and industry is a beautiful thing; you won't be disappointed!

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $30 or more
About $30

Share your love of creativity this holiday season - or year round! Receive a pack of 24 blank Rudolph cards - our first big project ever. Rudolph is made entirely of found materials: cardboard, red 5-gallon bucket nose and PVC antlers. The card sets will include 6 each of four different Rudolph shots. Shipping in the US is included.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $40 or more
About $40

Isn't the cinder block form amazing? The simplicity, the functionality, the versatility! We designed mini-cinder block pendants as an homage to one of our favorite construction materials. We'll send you one so you can pay your respects, or they make great gifts for anyone with an affinity for all things industrial. Pendants are roughly 1.25"x0.75"x0.50" and come with a 30" silver or gold finish ball chain. Shipping in the US is included. Please specify if you need your reward by the 2012 holidays!!

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $50 or more
About $50

You know what's mesmerizing? Maps. You know what's even more mesmerizing? Original lithographed 1918, 1921 and 1924 Sanborn maps of Philadelphia with hand-pasted updates. Receive a piece of Philly's history with one 18"x26" page from a volume of insurance maps saved from a dumpster. All maps are in charmingly worn but good condition and are double-sided. Shipping in the US is included.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $60 or more
About $60

RAIR gave artist Tim Eads an opportunity to pilot the residency program, and he ran with it. The Taxonomy of Trash was a result of Tim's vision for a collaboration among several artists, which became "a visual, intellectual and aural celebration of garbage." Receive this period table-esque 20"x20" poster of Taxonomy of Trash and an update on the upcoming exhibit at the Delaware Center for Contemporary Art in Spring 2013. Shipping in the US is included.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $150 or more
About $150

Calling all artists and designers! Receive a solo 1-hour introductory tour and 2-hour opportunity to source materials for your very own project. No residency application necessary, and no guarantees of what hidden gems you're bound to come across that day. Get ready to get inspired!

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $500 or more
About $500

RAIR loves heavy equipment. Whether we're anthropomorphisizing an excavator or using a forklift to haul who knows what back to the studio space, they helps us get the job done. RAIR artists Billy Blaise Dufala and Lucia Thome will jointly make and send you a mini-sculpture of an excavator or fork-lift (please specify your choice!) out of steel scraps. Shipping in the US is included. Please specify if you need your reward by the 2012 holidays!!

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $1,000 or more
About $1,000

We love helping artists create AND destroy art. You read that right - we can't think of a better way to round out an experimental project using waste materials than to put it back into the recycling piles from which they came. Complete the cycle! We'll invite you and up to three of your guests for a private tour of our facility and a highly entertaining viewing of a project's re-entry to the waste stream. You'll never look at art the same way again!

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $1,500 or more
About $1,500

Art and food is meant to be experienced. With this reward, you can have both at the same time! If you provide the kitchen, RAIR artist and executive director extraordinaire Billy Blaise Dufala will prepare you and up to five of your guests a home cooked chicken dinner with some of your favorite sides. (No trash involved here, folks!) If you know Billy, you know this won't be your ordinary chicken dinner. The chicken will be sculpted with edible breast implants and dressed in a custom-made aluminum foil bikini. All the while, Billy will give you the latest run-down on all things RAIR and answer any questions you have about art, food and trash. (This reward is available within a 100-mile radius of Philadelphia. Further away? Ask us about any additional travel costs.)